pope john paul ii was 84 when he died. wlerned after he died he considered twice resigning because of his ill health. this sets up a political process with the conclave electing the next pope. dan harris joining us on this discussion. it was a quick process to anoint pope benedict. how does the process work? >> this is a fascinating, intricate, ancient process. a brief look at how it works. take a look. for the past 10 year, papal elections have been held in the vatican's sistine chapel. they're totally cut off from the outside world. all banned. once the election commence, they'll sleep and eat in the santa marta house in private rooms, each with a bathroom. about 70 people are awe loied in besides the cardinals. who can vote for the pope? usually those under the age of 80 at the time of the pope's death. so at this time benedict is still alive. will he be part of it or will his age keep him out? any catholic male, not married, is eligible. for more than 1,000 year, it's almost always been a cardinal. the ballots are secr